outskirts of panem
by pookieortega
Summary: Catching fire. What if after katniss blew up the arena she found a now visible door. A way out. Her and peeta can escape,but into new undiscovered territory. On the outskirts of panem,trying to get to district 12 without the capitol getting them first.
1. outskirts of panem

Katniss pov

This is it, I swear I'm dead. Or going to die, I miraculously open my eyes and realize that I blew up the force field. When I look to the side I see everything crumbling,trees,the roof,everything. But then I notice a small silver door,now visible since the force field is gone.

This is my only chance. I know that the capitol is coming for us. Us...Peeta. Peeta,I have to find him. I look towards the tree that we were supposed to meet at and I see him. He is crawling and trying to get up but can't. I run as fast as I can and grab him.

"Katniss..the force field"he says.

"I know,I blew it up. Quick,I found a way out,we have to go!"

"You go. I can't,my tracker"

It all becomes clear. That's what Johanna was doing. She cut out my tracker. "Give me your arm and your knife quickly"I say. I quickly cut out his tracker and then pull him up."We have to run,now!"I yell. He gets up and I take his hand as we run to the door. I glance up to see hovercrafts,shit they're coming for us.

Finally we reach the door,but it's locked. "Peeta,your machete."I say. He quickly hands me it and I chop at the lock. After a few hard chops it's open. Finally we can get out of this arena. I grab his arm and run out of the arena.

When we get out,all there is are trees. It's like the first arena almost,but this is real. This is all too real.

"What happens now?"peeta asks. As we run away from the arena. By the time we stop to walk,we should be about a mile away.

"We have to do what we've been doing for the last two years,and for me,all my survive."

When I look at our surroundings,I find mountains up ahead. Mountains are always north. If we are near the capitol,then we need to head east,that's towards district 12...That's where our families are...

"Peeta,what about our families?"

"Yeah...I'm sure the capitol is doing something to them. What are we going to do? What can we do?"

"I think I might know. The only thing we can do is make our way to district 12,and hope that our families are okay. What about haymitch? Is he doing anything about this?"

"Yeah...I mean, I don't think it was a coincidence that people just happened to risk their lives to save ours. Like that girl from 6 or mags. Or even the fact that finnick or beetea,or Johanna teamed up with us. And remember when Johanna said she got 'nuts and volts' for you?"

"Yeah,your right..."

"I say we go with your idea,we try to get back to 12"

When I look up at the sky,judging by the sun,it's about 5pm. Dusk. "Do you think we should set up before it gets dark?"

"What time do you think it is?"He asks.

"About 5."

We have a bow and some arrows,a machete,a small knife,and a spile. I guess that's better than nothing. Peeta starts to cut at a tree until he has a few branches."What are you doing?"I ask

"Making a shelter,I figured since its going to be dark we should be covered."I nod and say"I'm going hunting"

"Katniss,please don't go far"

I want to yell at him,to say that I can go as far as I want,or that of course I'll be fine,but then I look into his eyes and I see that he truly cares for me,that he just wants to make sure I'll return. So I drop my bow,and run to him."I won't go far"

I press my lips to his and wrap my arms around him. This kiss isn't like the one on the beach,it's not nearly as good,no this kiss is more to show him that I'll be back,that I'll be safe.

"I promise"I say after.

After a few minutes of trailing the woods,I shoot a bird that I've never seen. It's quite big and its all white. I find my way back to peeta to find a small three walled shelter,like the one we made in the arena.

"I got something for us to cook"I say holding up the bird.

"Oh perfect"peeta says with a smile. He looks all sweaty and hot from building the shelter. "Do you want me to build a fire?"He asks.

"No,it's okay. You should rest for a bit,at least cool down. I'll build a fire"

When I have a fire going,I can't help but think of how thankful I am that my dad taught me so many things,building a fire being one of them.

I'm about to cut up the bird,when I realize that I don't have anything to clean it with."Peeta! We have to find a river or lake!"I say.

"Crap,we do!"he says getting up quickly. "But it's already dark. We should sleep tonight and look for one tomorrow"he says and I agree. So I set the animal down and snuggle up in his arms in our little shelter.

"I hope our families are okay"I say

"Yeah,hopefully we can make it back soon"he says as I drift off.

A/N so what do you think? Any guesses to where they are? Please review


	2. searching for water

Please follow/favourite/review

Katniss pov

I wake up to find the sun just about to rise. The good thing about that is I know what way is east because the sun always rises east,I guess I didn't pay attention to that last night because I was to busy thinking about what to do. Peeta feels me stir and gets up too.

"Good morning"he says.

"Hey"I reply getting up. I pick up our supplies and say"I guess we should start moving"he nods and gets up too. I hear ruffling and when I turn around I see peeta breaking down our shelter."What are you doing?"I ask him confused.

"If the capitol comes looking for us,I don't want to give them a clue"he says

"That's smart,I haven't even though about that yet...Ready?"I say. He nods and picks up a few things. My stomach growls as my body starts to wake up more. We were lucky that it's summer time,because that makes the nights not as cold.

"So what way should we go?"He asks.

"I was thinking we could head north east,around the districts. I believe we are north of the capitol,so if I'm right,we go north east until we hit ocean,then south to 12. The only thing is,we might have to trail along some districts to know if we're going the right way."

"There's more of a chance to get caught if we do"he says

"It's a risk we'll have to make"

"Okay"

We start to make our way north,every once in a while a squirrel pops out,even though peeta is loud so I get to shoot it. We stop at times because of peeta's leg,but get going really quickly. I find signs that water is near,like certain animals and plants and as soon as I find an edible plant I pick it so that we can munch on something.

"Katniss,it amazes me how much you know"peeta says. I turn to smile at him."My dad taught me...He was very smart"I say. Then I stop in my tracks. I hear noise coming from up ahead. We have been walking for hours with barely any rest so we must be close to something.

We slowly approach what's up ahead until we find a clearing. I have my bow ready as I look around there's nothing there except for a small lake,not as big as the one my dad took me to but it will help.

"Judging by how big the trees are,we must be close to 7. Do you remember how big those trees were?"I say pointing at the trees as Peeta helps me cut up the animals we have. It's lake water so it should be okay. Then a thought comes to mind,if trees hold in water,maybe we can get water out of these giant trees.

I pick up the spiel and stick it in the tree but what comes out of the tree isn't water,it's a type of sticky substance...It's sap! I sit down next to peeta as I clean out the spiel.

"These trees are different,they don't hold water,it's sap."I say. I look down at the water,it's not exactly dirty. It's actually sorta clear. I scoop up some water and drink then get started on a fire so we can eat.

When the fire is ready,I grab the bird meat and stick a stick through it and start to roast it. Peeta takes over half way through so that I can weave like mags taught me. I weave a basket with what I have and even attempt at a fishing pole,maybe we can get some fish here?

"It's ready"he calls out a few minutes later. When I walk back over to him,he busts up laughing."What? What are you laughing at?"I ask confused. He smiles and wipes something off my face.

"You have dirt all over your face"he says. Then I lean over and wipe off his face too"you do too"I say and we both laugh. After we eat, I walk over to the lake and start to take off my clothes. It's easy because most of our suits from the arena were either taken off or burnt off.

"What are you doing?"peeta asks from behind.

"I'm going to clean off all the dirt. Care to join me?"

"Uh..Okay"

Soon we are both in our underwear in the shallow water. The lake only goes as deep as my shoulders so we don't have to worry about swimming. It's cold but after walking for half the day it feels good. I wrap my arms around him and rest there for a while. Listening to his heart beat.

He wraps his arms around my waist and presses his lips to my hair."Don't worry katniss"he says"we'll make it back,and everything will be safe and sound"

After our little swim,we get dressed and start to head north again until we hear more noise coming,noise of axes swinging against trees,we must be near 7...

A/N sorry for a bit of a cliffy. I think next chapter will be in haymitch's point of view


	3. hovercrafts

Haymitch pov back in 13

"God dammit! What are we going to do?"I yell.

"We couldn't find any remains of them,sir"an attendant tells Plutarch.

"Do you think the capitol has them?"finnick asks."like they have Johanna?"

"No,I don't think so...they put out searches for them in the districts remember? They don't have them either...It's like they disappeared."

"Maybe they escaped. We need another mockingjay pronto."coins cold voice says. I don't like this woman,there's something untrustworthy about her.

"Should we send out hovercrafts to look,I know you just wanna put them aside,but who's there to be a better mockingjay than katniss? They are essential to this rebellion. At least for getting hope into the districts. We can try finnick,I'm sure he'll do a great job but remember katniss was the spark that started this inferno."I say.

"Fine,send out 2 hovercrafts to look for them. But I swear if any of our hovercrafts come back directed by the capitol,it's on you!"she says angrily walking out of command.

"Finnick,Gale,we're going for a ride."I say waving them forward. They follow me to the nearest hovercraft as a few other soldiers go to another.

"Do you really think they're out there? What if the capitol just wants us to think that they are out there so they could shoot us down?"finnick says.

"I think the war would be over if he captured both of them..."

"And katniss is a survivor,if she escaped she's definitely alive."Gale says"bread boy on the other hand,I don't know."

That kinda pissed me off so I say"no she wouldn't leave him,she loves him too much."

The look on his face is priceless. He looks to the floor and mumbles"you don't know that"really low. I suppress a laugh when I hear it.

"Are we invisible?"I ask the pilot. He nods and says"so far undetected. The second hovercraft is moving north towards 7 and we are moving south towards 2. They could have taken off either way."

"Good."

A few minutes later we are getting a call from the other hovercraft."ABORT MISSION, ORDERS OF COIN. I REPEAT ABORT MISSION"

"Calling 2nd craft. Do you have any reason besides the orders? Are we being detected? Is there any lead?"

"NEGATIVE, ABORT MISSION ORDERS OF COIN."

I sigh. "I don't think she wants us to find them...we're being sent back. YOU KNOW WHAT? NO! TURN THIS AROUND WE'RE NOT GOING BACK UNLESS WE HAVE TO. THAT MEANS UNLESS WE ARE UNDER ATTACK"

"Yeah,fuck coin. We need to find katniss!"Gale says.

"Yeah"

That's when there's a beeping noise and the pilot says"got your guns?"

"Yes why?"

"We're under attack!"

"Time to fight boys."

Katniss pov

"Look,over there!"I point.

Peeta turns his head to see what I mean. There's a big hovercraft with the capitol sign on it. I pull him into the trees so that hopefully we aren't seen. This reminds me of the time Gale and I were hunting and we watched those two people be taken by the capitol.

Then another hovercraft comes to sight. I see it fire at something. At first I don't understand until I notice the shimmering that could only be a force field. Those have to be rebels...but how do they have a hovercraft?

When we look to the south,we find the same thing but this one is fighting back. The one above us is retreating,but this one is returning fire. Soon the capitol one is retreating and I notice that there's something wrong with the rebel one. The capitol must of hit it good.

"Peeta! The rebels!"I try to get their attention but they're too far gone. I slump against the tree and peeta wraps his arms around me. I guess we'll have to make our way back to the district ourselves.

Later that night I curl up to peeta and hope that they come back...


	4. love and guards

Love you all! Please review!

Katniss pov

It's been a few weeks since we passed 7 and no sign of the rebels again yet. We should be near six by now but I'm still not sure if I'm right or not because there isn't a sign of it yet. Peeta and I are growing close and I don't know how I feel about that. I love the feeling of his arms around me as I sleep or the way he smiles at me even in our situation.

I'm so confused! I know that I care deeply for him,I can't live without him and I choose him over Gale. I think I love him. But I'm afraid to love because everyone I love dies. But now that I think about the night on the beach and the time he hit the force field and now there's no doubt in my mind that I love him.

I run up to peeta who just put up our shelter for the night and wrap my arms around him. He is taken off guard by my suddeness but quickly returns the hug. His blue eyes shine into mine and I know I have to tell him how I feel. I give him a kiss,mustering all the love I can into it.

"Katniss"he sighs

"Peeta...I love you"

I swear his heart stopped. His mouth hangs open and his eyes are shining more than before. His hand goes to my face and he says"I've been waiting for you to say that since I was 5. I've always loved you,I love you so much"he says and I feel my heart swell for this boy with the bread.

His smile grows brighter than before when he leans forward to kiss me. This kiss is a true kiss,I've kissed him so many times but only a handful of them have been true and full of love. His hands wrap around my waist and his tongue slips into my mouth. This kiss elicits a fire that I've felt only two times before. A hunger,but not the hunger I'm used to. No this is different.

His hand slowly moves up to my left breast and I don't stop him. But right as he goes to knead it there's a growl. We instantly pull away to find a huge wild dog standing 10 feet away from us. We both freeze and I slowly reach back for my bow.

It growls again this time bearing it's teeth. I load an arrow right as it lunges at peeta. I don't hesitate to send an arrow through its eye while it's in mid air. It lands on peeta but it's dead by the time it hits him,so he's only hit with dead weight. I run to him and help him up from under that hundred pound dog.

"That was a close one"I say and I'm not sure if I mean the dog or the kiss or both. He looks at it and asks"can you cook this type of meat?"I nod and we start to cut up the meat.

After we eat it, peeta and I make our way east towards our target. I can hear the buzzing of a fence so I know that we are close to a district. Most likely 6,I can hear the wind mills.

"We need to be quieter around here"I say taking peeta's hand. His fingers encase mine as we walk through the trees. Then I stop when I see the fence visible. There's no doubt that this is district 6.

I start to lead him away from the fence so that we are more in the trees. After an hour or so of walking we are at the edge of the district. This is where most of the security is and where we need to be extra careful.

I get closer to the line of trees where I can see the entrance between 6 and 8. There are only a few peacekeepers around,not as much as I would think. The capitol must need as much as they can get,therefore cutting down the number of peacekeepers around the districts.

"Peeta,we have to get across because we're on the wrong side."

"How are we going to do that? There's still some there?"He says motioning to the peacekeepers. I bit my lip as I think of a plan. We can't just take them out because then snow could find out...but maybe if we were to take out two we could blend in.

"I've got it! When it gets a little bit darker we will make noise so that two come our way. When they come we might have to kill them..."I trail off seeing the flaw in my plan. I don't want to have to kill anyone else...but after all we've been through,it might be the easiest.

"It's okay katniss"peeta says softly"it's what we need to do"I nod and he wraps his arms around me again. I know I'm going to have more nightmares tonight.

We sit waiting until it gets darker. I think of all the weak spots in their suits. I spent a lot of time with peacekeepers at the hob. I think of Darius,even though he was a peacekeeper he was different. He was relaxed and didn't care that what we were doing was illegal. We would talk most days I was there...kind of odd thinking about it now since he can't talk anymore.

But thanks to him I know the weak spots in their suits. He told me one day but it was a while ago so I really have to think back...

"...creases...neck...see this area in my suit? It's not covered...my chest is and my back,but these dark areas are weak..."He said once.

"Always a flaw in the system"I said.

"Yeah,katniss. Bet you could easily shoot an arrow through these..."

I try to remember more but I can't. I turn to peeta and say"they have weak spots in their suits. The darker areas like the neck and the elbow crease."

"Okay, I think it's time"I say

"Okay katniss,and just in case"he says he pulls me close to him and kisses me deeply,just like before I left him at the lightning tree. I wrap my arms tightly around him and say"we won't be separated I promise...I love you"

"I love you too"

We walk to the tree line and peeta starts to make noise so that two peacekeepers come. I see them look closely around as Peeta goes to hide. I lock on my target,the neck of the first peacekeeper,then let it fly. The second one looks around quickly and I instantly send the next arrow into its throat.

We wait a few minutes then go to see if they are dead. They are. Peeta and I quickly take off the suits to find that it was a girl and a guy. We have been in our clothes from the quarter quell,so we don't have any other clothes.

As disgusting as this is,we change into the black clothing they had under. Then we add on the armour. I fold up the quell suits and put them in a compartment. We pick up the weapons that they had along with my bow and arrows and peeta's machete and we make our way to the other side. We quickly pass and none of the peacekeepers even give us a second glance until I hear "Hey! Wait a minute!" Shit! "where are you going?"

In a voice that's different from my own I say"I'm going to check this side too"the helmet helps my voice to sound different thankfully. I quickly add"we might be a while"

"Ha! Sneaking off again with storm, sash?"

"Shut up"I say and we run as the other two are laughing. When we are far enough I let out a breath and then start to strip from the armour. It would be smart to keep it for if we had to do that again but it's so much to bring,so we settle on just the weapons and clothes,bringing our suits too.

We put as much distance from us and them as we can until we get impossibly tired. We sit down by a tree together,panting and I rest my head on his shoulder."I can't believe that worked"he says

"I know...I just,I hate what we-"

"Don't think about it,katniss" he says kissing my forehead. I can't help but feel the weight of what we've done on my shoulders,like those games changed us into mutts.

I slowly fall asleep until the nightmares wrack my body and I wake to peeta telling me to wake up. These few days won't be so simple,but at least we're closer to home.


	5. rest and fun

Katniss pov

I wake up screaming in peeta's arms. He holds me tightly,cooing in my ear. "It's okay,katniss,shhh it's okay" I cling onto him,crying in his chest. Slowly I calm down until I'm just laying in his arms. He kisses my head and then my lips.

I get up and start to cook the squirrel I shot then server it to peeta. He thanks me and I help him up. "Katniss,eat something. Please?" I sigh,I was going to just let him have the squirrel because I'm not very hungry,but knowing peeta he won't give up until I give in.

So I give in and lean forward to take a bite from his piece. "Thank you"he says with a smile. We grab our things and continue on our journey. Peeta stops me after an hour because of his leg,so I decide to hunt while he rests.

I hit three birds and bring them back to him. As I'm almost to the clearing,that's when I see him on a rock. His prosthetic is off and laying next to him. I've never seen it off of him. I've seen it on him but now where the metal would begin a few inches above the actual nub,there's more skin that leads to an end.

At first I think about going back to hunting to allow him some more time because I know when I return he'll want to put it back on,but I end up walking behind him to wrap my arms around him.

He jumps out of surprise and I can feel his heart beating fast. "Sorry,didn't mean to sneak up on you"I say kissing his cheek. He goes to put on his prosthetic but I stop him saying that we'll sit here for a while. I know how much it irritates him,but he tries not to show it. That's peeta for you,so selfless.

I sit down next to him and ask"is it hurting you?"I ask

He doesn't say anything. "It is huh?"I say and he sighs. "It's just the fact that we've been on a constant move and I've been on it too long. But I'm okay katniss we can keep moving now."

"Peeta, you need this rest. I don't mind either,I actually would like you to do whatever you can to help your leg,so please do what it takes to get you comfortable. Please"I plead. That's when I reach down to the nub and start to massage it for him.

He closes his eyes and I smile. "This is helping right?"I ask him. "Yes, very"I smile in achievement. After a few minutes he says"I'm good now"and starts to put his leg back on. Then he leans forward to kiss me"thank you he whispers against my lips.

We start to walk again until we reach a lake and decide to stay here. Peeta goes to make a shelter as I clean myself off. When I turn back to peeta,he is shirtless in the hot sun,his skin his dripping in sweat as he makes a very big shelter. He's gotten so good at that with all the times he's had to do that.

This elicits a feeling within me,something I've only felt a handful of times...only peeta can do this to me. I slowly walk over to him until I'm standing right in front of him. We stand there staring at each other for a few seconds,until like a flash of lightning my arms are around his neck and his are around my waist as I kiss him fiercely.

He lifts my leg up over his hip as we are in a series of frenzied kisses. Until I'm pushed up against a tree,his tongue and mine fight for dominance,but as I hit the tree his lips move down to my neck.

That's when his fingers slip in my belt loops and mine do to,but he starts to pull them down. Then he does my shirt along with my bra and his pants. But I stop him to pull him into the shelter.

As he lays over me he asks"you're sure about this katniss? Please,if I hurt you or you don't want this,just tell me."

But I quickly shake my head and say"peeta,you don't understand,I wouldn't have gone so far if I didn't love you and want this,I'm sure peeta. There's no doubt in my mind that I want you"

He smiles and a single tear slips from his eyes then pulls me into a heated but passionate kiss...

Later that night I lay there on his chest,still surprised that this happened and happy that it did. Peeta runs his hand up and down my back as I slowly drift off into a peaceful sleep,one that I haven't had in a while.

When I wake up again,peeta is staring at me smiling. I smile back up at him and kiss his lips,then press my forehead to his. "Katniss..."He starts but I shush him,wanting to bask in our silence,talk with our eyes,and show him how much I love him...


	6. screwing up

Katniss pov

It's been a month and I believe we are near district 8 which means we have about 3 more districts until we make it home,that is if there is still home. Peeta believes that there still is but I don't know.

I wake up and go hunting while peeta is still asleep. I end up shooting a turkey and bring it back to cook for breakfast. By the time I'm done,peeta wakes up. "Hey"I say as he sits next to me.

I take a bite of the freshly cooked Turkey but it tastes weird. I look over to peeta as he eats but he looks fine. I quickly make my way away from him to throw up. "Peeta!"I gasp"don't eat it!"

He runs his hand over my back in circles as I throw up again. "I don't think it was cooked right"I say. He looks confused"I ate it and I feel fine"he says. After I'm done puking I lay across his lap. He wipes my forehead with a piece of his shirt to wipe away the sweat.

"Maybe it was just the part that I ate. I'll go hunt for something else."I say getting up. Peeta looks really worried but won't say anything to stop me. As I walk through the forest I think of how peeta wasn't affected and that is kinda weird. I still think that the part I ate was bad though.

I shoot two birds and bring it back to him and this time let him cook. The smell is making nauseas so I go down to the lake near us as he cooks. Soon he calls for me so I come back to where he is.

As soon as I take a bite I start throw up again. Damn Turkey must have given me food poisontng. I lay down and peeta rubs my back again til I fall asleep. When I wake up I see peeta sitting away from me.

"Peeta..."I croak

He doesn't turn around to look at me and doesn't say anything. I sit up and put my hand on his shoulder but he still doesn't do anything. I can't see his face in the moon light well,so I can't read him.

"Peeta" I say again.

"Did you have a nightmare?"I ask

"I guess you could say that,only this could be reality and I'm the monster"he says not looking at me.

"Peeta what is it?"

"I was worried yesterday about you,I thought you got sick but after this dream I had I realized that you might not be sick and this is all my fault!"he cries.

"What is peeta?"I ask still confused.

"Katniss,I don't think you're sick...I think you're pregnant"

I stare at him with disbelief but he could easily be right. We didn't have protection and we did it multiple times. Now I'm the only one who is sick? My boobs are a bit sore too. But peeta thinks this is all his fault.

"Peeta we don't know for sure but I want you to know that this isn't your fault peeta"I say, he just shakes his head and says"how can this not be my fault? It's my sperm! Katniss I caused this!"

"Peeta,it's okay it's my fault too remember. Don't be so hard on yourself peeta"I say. I wrap my arms around him and lean my head on his shoulder hoping to calm him. He just lets out a big sigh and I kiss his cheek.

"Katniss,I know that you never wanted kids. And look at where we are! We're out in nowhere and in a war!"

"I know peeta"I say

I wrap him in my arms again and he rests his head on my chest. He starts to cry a bit and I rock him in my arms like he does to me when I have a nightmare. He slowly starts to fall asleep and that's when I let a few tears slip out. This scares me,I know peeta will be a great father but I don't think I'll be a good mom!

I feel peeta stir so I try as much as I can to calm myself and stroke his hair. "Katniss...?"He says his voice laced in sleep. "Shhhhh...go back to sleep"I say,he goes to get up but I start to sing him to sleep so he curls up on my chest and wraps an arm around me tightly as one hand rest unconsciously on my stomach.

When I wake up peeta is looking at my stomach as his hand rests on it. I know how much he's wanted to be a father before because we've talked about it in one of our many conversations.

When he notices that I'm awake he quickly gets up to cook food for us. He hands me some of the berries I've gathered that I can actually stomach. Then he hands me a piece of Turkey but I can't stomach that.

"Are you okay?"He asks after I'm finished throwing up. I nod and say"I'm just really tired,is it okay if we stay here?"I ask

"Of course,you go sleep and I'm going to wash off"he says as I go to the shelter. As I lay down in our little cove I watch as Peeta strips and walks into the water. I slowly drift off and when I'm woken up,it's about dinner time.

"How are you feeling?"He asks

"Fine,I'm just tired"I say

"You've been sleeping all day?"

"I know but I'm just so tired"

"Will you please eat something?"He asks handing me some berries. I nod and eat them. "Thank you"he says I pull him to me and snuggle up to him. He wastes no time to wrap his arms around me and as I'm almost asleep again I feel his hand return to my stomach.


	7. scratches and arrows

Katniss pov

If we weren't sure I was pregnant before,I'm definitely sure now.

Peeta and I have been on a set back because I'm sleeping so much. It's been about two months since we suspected and now there is a small hard bump forming between the top of my hips. Due to all the sleeping we haven't moved very much and district 8 is on the large side for a district.

We are almost out of meat and I haven't really eaten anything because I'm feeling really sick today. Peeta tells me,pleads me to eat something but I just throw it up and feel worse than I did before. The berries I usually can stand but we can't always find berries that are edible.

"Peeta,I think I need to hunt"I say

He gives me a look of worry but I wave it off "no I need to,we are almost out of meat"

"Katniss please please please be careful"

"I will don't worry" I say

I follow the trees a little ways,taking in each detail,then I hear a honk of a goose and I look up to find a big white goose flying above. I load my bow and take aim. I release my arrow and it flies into its eye,like always.

It drops a few feet away from me and I runt to retrieve it. It's a nice big one and is kinda heavy. I drag it to peeta and ask him to skin it for me. I can't skin things right now because it makes me sick.

"Sure,are you okay?"

"Yeah,Yeah,I just still feel sick. I'm going to go wash off"I say.

I walk a few feet away to the lake we found. I strip completely,and get into the chilling water. I shiver and that's when I notice that it's starting to get cold. Summer has faded to fall where the wind picks up and the nights get cooler.

This scares me.

Peeta and I need warmer clothes and more shelter and I just don't think that will happen. I am pulled from my thoughts when I hear a growl. I turn to find a big Brown wolf. At first I'm still,then thinking of peeta only a few feet away I take off running. Damn I left my bow by him.

Finally I reach my bow after tripping over a rock and flying through trees,the wolf following and peeta confused. "Katniss why are you-"

That's when I send an arrow into the wolf's chest as it jumps through the trees into our clearing. I stand there breathing heavily as it falls landing inches away from peeta. He looks completely shocked.

I run to him and he engulfs me in his arms. "Peeta are you okay?"I ask

"I'm fine,but are you okay? You just ran naked through all these trees with a wolf chasing after you"

He extends his arms,me at the end and looks over my body. He then gets a sad look on his face. "Your ankles are cut up" he says" did it scratch you?"

"No I think it was when I fell over a rock or when I burst through branches,but I'm fine don't worry about it"

"I'm going to worry no matter what katniss"he says"please let me help you"

I know he won't leave me alone until I do and I'm stuck with him so he has time,so I give in right away.

"Fine"

"Thank you"he says as he scoops me up.

"I can walk you know" I say irritated.

"I know but I prefer this"he says with a smirk.

We reach the water and he carefully sets me down. He starts to wash off the scratches and rips A sleeve from our suits to wrap around my ankle. Then he grabs my clothes and starts to dress me.

"I can dress myself you know."

"I know but I prefer this"he repeats winking.

When I'm all dressed he starts to cook the goose and he hands me a piece. I can actually eat it,which is a difference because usually I'm throwing it up. When I'm finished I actually ask for more which makes peeta smile brightly.

"I am so happy that you are eating again"he says kissing my forehead. I lean into him and say"it definitely feels better to eat it than puke it"I say.

"Here"he says handing me another piece. I take it gratefully and say"thank you,peeta"

After we eat I say"we should get going"

He helps me up and hands me my bow then I help him pack up what we have and destroy the evidence that we were here. After about a mile of walking we are startled by an arrow landing in a tree a few feet away from me...

A/N it's a bit short but big ideas for next chapter


	8. district 8

Katniss pov

It's instantly my hand is on my bow ready fire. I figure comes into sight and I'm about to let it fly until I see that it's a girl,only about 14. She has dark skin and hair. Kinda reminds me of rue in a way,the innocence in her face and the look of misplace all over her.

She stares in shock at first,then quickly lowers her bow. "I-I-I am so sorry! I didn't mean to shoot at you,I thought you were a deer! The loud footsteps misled me!"she rambles.

"It's okay"I say and then look at peeta. He looks at her and says"why are you out here? I mean you're so young?"

"My name is Nancy Paylor. I was out hunting because my mom she is apart of the rebellion...she's helping at the hospital,many soldiers are hurt. So I'm hunting for the survivors."

"The rebellion... what's going on?"I ask

"The rebels are fighting back, they plan on attacking the capitol. But they thought you were dead? So finnick is leading it."

"Are the rebels winning?"I ask her

"It's hard to say, I only know so much,but I know that district 13 is training an army."

"But district 13 was destroyed? How-?"

"Underground"she simply says.

"Do you guys need anything? Should I tell my mom?"

I look at peeta and he nods. "Okay"I say.

She brings us to her house saying"district 8 is all rebels, so you should be safe from the capitol. So,do you need anything? I can get you guys some fresh clothes,there is a warehouse with all sorts of clothes,and it looks like you'll be needing a new shirt soon,one to fit with what will soon be a baby bump"

"How-how could you tell?"I ask dumbfounded.

"My job is to do fittings for pregnancy clothes,I'm used to it. And by the way your shirt is fitting,it's obvious to me."

She gets up to grab the clothes,but before she leaves she says"don't let anyone in,just in case. But if my mom comes,you can trust her,I'll be back"then she leaves.

Peeta and I sit there amazed at her knowledge. I place a hand on my stomach and look down. Then after a few minutes she returns. She holds two pairs of clothes and then I see what else she has...a bag. The same bag that was in the hunger games.

I gasp and stare in fear as memories flood in. Peeta grips my shoulders and whispers"it's okay katniss,it's okay" After I calm down Nancy says"I'm sorry,I didn't mean to cause problems,but I found these...the capitol had us make them,then they fill them up with weapons and send them back for detailing...we haven't shipped them out yet. I thought you could use them. Just in case."

"Thank you"peeta says with a smile. She hands us the clothes and let's us change. After we change we walk out into the town. That's when I see finnick standing in front of the hospital as a camera crew shoots videos. Propos I believe they're called.

I am about to run to them when hovercrafts appear in the sky and that's when the bombs start to fall. Peeta grabs me and pulls me under into some covering. I see some of the rebel soldiers and I catch a glimps of dark hair on pale skin. Gale.

He sends explosive arrows into the hovercrafts and I want to run to him. To make sure my family is fine,when peeta snaps me out of my daze and says"we have to go katniss!"I can barley hear him over the sound of the commotion.

Fire.

Smoke.

Burning.

Destruction.

We run and run until our throats burn and we can't run anymore. I fall into him and we lay down and watch as smoke rises over the trees. Hundreds of people could be dead right now.

I cry into peeta's arms. Damn hormones. He soothes me and says"it's okay,it will be alright." I nod but the tears still flow. "Do you think prim is okay?"I ask.

"I'm sure Gale has her in a safe place,he promised to take care of her for you,and as much as he can be...hmmm,well him,I don't think he'd leave her somewhere dangerous."

"Come on,lets get going before it's too dark. I just want to get home as soon as possible."I say picking up what we have. After hours of walking,we stop and make a shelter. Peeta looks in the bag to find a sleeping bag and cantine,iodine, rope,a knife and some food and a first aid kit. This bag is very similar to the one I got in the games.

I change into my new clothes,which have a stretchy type of material to accommodate a pregnant stomach. This shirt fits well and so do the pants. Peeta changes too and then we snuggle up in the sleeping bag.

Many nightmares wake me up that night,so finally I settle with just laying there watching peeta sleep. That's when I realize that he has gone very stiff and his face is strained.

"Peeta wake up! It's just a nightmare,wake up!"

"Katniss!"he yells shooting up. He instantly pulls me into his arms. I feel him crying into my hair. I look up and wipe the tears away. "I'm right here peeta,it's okay"I say kissing him. He relaxes when I do so,and says"I had a dream I lost you"

"Shhh it's okay peeta"I say kissing him again"I'm not leaving you anytime soon. He gets up and starts pacing.

"What are you thinking about?"I ask

"If they bombed 8, what do you think they'll do to 12? Our families?"

II look down at the small hard bump when our baby is surely growing and think about prim,she needs safety but I'm not there to give it to her. Then I think about what would happen if they caught us. What would they do to our baby?

"Do you think they've done anything yet?"

"There's only one way to find out"he says and starts to pack up. I help him,eager to get as close to home as fast as I can. It's still dark but the moonlight is enough for us. My dialated eyes lead the way as we walk through the dark.

After about an hour or so of walking,I stop peeta so that we can eat. I'm starting to get really hungry now that the sickness has fully subsided. Peeta hands me a bag of food that was in the bag and then he heads out looking for water.

Later he comes back and says"well,it looks as though the nearest lake is nearly 3 miles away...should we keep going?"

"Yeah,I want to get home soon." He nods and then takes some food and my hand as we set out again.


	9. movement

Katniss pov

It's dark right now and peeta is asleep,but I can't sleep. It's been a month and we still haven't heard from anyone or seen any hovercrafts. My stomach is growing and you can actually see the bump. It's small compared to most pregnant people that I've seen,but they are also usually coming to my mom to get help on the delivery. So I guess I don't have much to go off of.

I place a hand on it and smile. I rub it and that's when I feel a very small nudge. I smile more and poke where it just moved. It pushes back but this time harder. This becomes my new little game. I poke it and it nudges back. Soon I can't control my laughter and it wakes peeta.

"What are you laughing at?"He asks sitting up.

"It moved!"I say happily,"so I poked it and it nudged back."

"Really?!"he says with gleam in his eyes. He reaches out to feel so I poke it again and it nudges back. I hear peeta gasp so he felt it. I look up to see him smiling very happily. "It's really there,this is real"peeta says astonished.

"Yeah,it's really there"I say and kiss him.

"Do you think it's a girl or a boy?"He asks

"I have a feeling that it's a girl,but I kinda hope for s boy because I want a little you"I say. He smiles and says"I have a feeling it's a girl too,I want a little you too"he says laughing.

"Stubborn trouble maker?"

He laughs and says"but that's what I love about you" I laugh and he kisses me again. Then a chill blows across us. It's winter now and that scares me so much. I shiver and try to get as close to peeta as I can. He wraps his arms closely around me and runs his hands up and down my arms.

"Cold?"

"Yeah"

"Here"he says and unzips his jacket to give to me. "But peeta,you need this. I have a jacket and as long as I'm close to you I'll be fine,but please take your jacket"I say motioning to the jacket I'm wearing. He sighs and puts it back on then pulls the sleeping bag as high as it goes. I place my head in the crook of his neck and wrap my arm around his waist holding on to him.

I quickly fall asleep after that.

Haymitch pov

"It's been almost 5 months! We have to find them! Please haymitch"prim pleads. I sigh knowing she's right.

"Please haymitch"she repeats with tears in her eyes.

"I know,I want to find them too,but coins orders lately have been...strict."

"I don't like her...She told me that I'm going out into battle as a nurse. But I don't want to go out into battle without katniss. I'm scared."She says.

"Don't,we aren't risking your life. Listen,you are going to stay in 13 no matter what,unless it's collapsing you stay here. Or if I'm in a secure place you stay with me. I don't think I'll be in the actual battle part,so you'll most likely be with me. Okay?"

"Okay"she says and hugs me.

"Thank you haymitch"

"You're welcome sweetheart"

"Prim,I need you"her mother calls. She runs off to help her and I know I have to protect this child. Both of us have been having a hard time with this. She's such a great person too,so nice and innocent, she is having a hard time without katniss,so I know that I must find them.

That's when I see Plutarch. "You!"I yell out. "Listen up. I will be taking a hovercraft and several people. Finnick and Gale being with me,and we are going to search for katniss and peeta! I don't care if coin doesn't want us too or if the capitol might see,we are finding them!"I yell.

"But- coin-"

"I don't give a fuck! We are finding them!"

"I'm sorry but she won't allow that"

That's when I punch him and say"you're either with us or against us"I say and walk away. When i get into the cafeteria I find finnick and Gale. "We're going to search for katniss and peeta,come on"

They instantly follow. We get a hovercraft and head off to the south. Half way to district 2 we get a call from paylor of 8.

"Haymitch,come in this is paylor. Katniss and peeta have been sighted by my daughter. She talked to them and said that she helped them,but they disappeared after the bombing, no bodies matching their DNA have been found so we believe they are alive. So we know they are close to district 8,they have to be,it's only been a month."

"Why weren't we told of this before?"

"Our connections were down because of the bombs."

"Okay,do you guys know if they are hurt? Or just dirty."

"We have no reason to believe they are hurt in any way."

"Okay,we are on our way to district 8."I say and hang up the call.

That's when Gale walks in. "Do you know anything?"

"They were spotted in district 8,before the bombing."

"They were there when we were?"

"Apparently"

"Is she okay?"

"Paylor's daughter helped them,she said they were okay and she gave them some clothes. That's when the bombs went off and they disappeared. They haven't found any bodies,so they are believed to be alive."

"Good,anything else?"

"We think they are still by 8,but we aren't sure. I just hope we find them soon. Coin is planning on ending it soon. A month at most. If this goes badly they could be killed,if it goes good,we might not find them."

"Do you think she loves him?"

"Yes,I have no doubt in my mind that she loves him. I'm sorry Gale,but you need to move on. She's out there surviving with that boy,all she has is him and if she couldn't come to terms with her love before,I'm sure she knows now. But you shouldn't be thinking about that,you should be thinking of taking care of your family and ending this war. And getting them back."

He says nothing,just looks at me sadly and leaves. I do feel bad for him,but I don't completely pity him. He should know by now that katniss loves peeta. I won't be surprised if they come back completely in love. They are what they both need.

"Haymitch,why have we turned around?"finnick asks running in. I explain to him everything and he listens to my commands. Soon we are both looking for any sign of them.


	10. mysterious places

Katniss pov

I wake up to drops of water falling on my face. I shoot up,waking up peeta doing so. "Peeta,it's raining!"I say.

"What!"he says sitting up with me. It's leaking through our shelter. "What should we do?"peeta asks.

"Maybe we should just keep moving,I won't find much game today since it's raining,so we should try to get out of this area as fast as possible,we low on food."

"Okay,"he says agreeing with me.

After a few hours of walking,the rain hasn't let up. I notice the trees getting more sparse so I know we are near a clearing. But what we come across is not what I expected. Stepping out of the trees,we find buildings,but not to a district. They are destroyed,well parts are.

"The dark days,"I hear peeta say.

"They abandoned these?"I say.

"I guess so."

We slowly start to walk in,my bow loaded and ready,but it's all clear. As we walk around,we find a hall with multiple doors and in front of each door there is a little plaque that says,'apt' then a number.

It's some sort of building with multiple little houses. I've never really seen anything like this is 12,and in the capitol everyone has a fancy house,so I don't understand why there would be so many houses in one building.

"This is weird,"peeta comments.

"Yeah,how old do you think it is?"

"Probably like 100 years old,"he says.

As we walk through we find a room that is the least destroyed. It has a bed that is half gone and part of the wall missing. But most of the kitchen is intact and the table isn't broken.

There's a couch that is sleepable but we would have to shake it off. I walk around to find a big black thing. I've seen it in a technology class we had. It was the way the tv's use to look,now we have holographic ones so we don't use these.

As peeta and I search through everything,we find canned food,but of course it's been expired for many years. As peeta looks in a drawer,he finds a few matches and some rags. When I look in a cabinet under a sink, I find some soap.

Peeta decides to shake off the couch and I venture to the backyard of the building. At first I don't really see much until I walk some more and find a tree. It has apples on it. Since no one has been able to pick the apples,there are many of them all around the trunk.

Searching the tree,I pick as many apples as I can hold from the tree. I take a bite of one,it could be a little more ripe but it's still edible. I go back to where peeta is and say,"look what I found."

"Oh,nice."He says as I hand him one.

"I was able to clear some debris from the fireplace. I think it's usable. It's kinda cold in here so I figured that we could make a fire."

"Sounds good,"I say.

I look out the broken window to find that it has started raining again. Peeta walks up behind me and wraps his arms around me. His hand rests on my stomach and he rubs it.

"How do you feel?"He asks.

"I feel fine. I just miss home."

"Yeah I do too. I'm scared though,"he says.

"Why?"

"Because if when we do,if there still is the capitol,our children will be reaped. And we'll be mentors if we don't die."

"I won't let that happen."

"Good,because I don't intend on letting that happen either."

He kisses my cheek and then he pulls me closer to him. I can feel the baby fluttering inside of me and I know peeta felt it too because it kicked right where his hand is. He starts to poke my stomach in random places and I feel the baby kick back. He laughs and whispers,"amazing."

"Do you think the rain will let up?"I ask.

"Wait...rain!" He says and runs to the other side of the room. He pulls out a bucket and says,"I found this earlier. It's fairly clean. I figured we could catch water in here and then use the soap and wash off."

"Okay,"I say.

"I think there are more in that closet. Let me check,maybe we could fill up the tub?"He says and runs to get more. He comes out with 4 more buckets. "Stay here,I'll go put them outside."He says taking the buckets.

A few minutes later he come back completely soaked. "Peeta,you must be freezing! Come here."

He walks over to me and I start to take off his wet shirt. Hmm,there must be a blanket somewhere? I run into rooms but find nothing. So I run across the hallway and search that house. This one does have a blanket thankfully.

I return and strip the rest of him,leaving him in only his underwear. I wrap the blanket around him and I feel him shiver. I hold him close to me and rub my arms up and down his arms hoping to warm him up. He opens his arms up and wraps me in the blanket with him. I put my hand on his chest and kiss right above it.

I get up and grab the sleeping bag and wrap it around us too. Looking out the window,I see that it's getting darker. Which means it's getting colder.I look to the hole in the wall where the draft is coming from. Getting up,I walk over to where the bed is and start to pull.

"Katniss what are you doing? Don't strain yourself!"he says running over to where I am. "I'm covering this hole with this bed. We'll prop the broken side against the wall and put the headboard on the ground."

He helps me move it and then takes something to cover himself as he goes to retrieve the buckets. He comes back with mostly filled buckets but he still got wet. I get up and go on a search for towels. I end up having to go upstairs to find them. I pick out all the debris from them and shake them out.

"I found some towels but be careful because there might be things stuck in them."I say.

He nods and starts pouring water into the tub. When he's done we both strip and get in. My back presses against his chest and I lean my head back on his shoulder. "Damn this is cold,"he says.

"This is how it used to be in the seam. We never had warm water unless you warmed it up by boiling it,but we rarely did because we needed the flame for food and the water would get cold again quickly. So we always had cold baths."

"We had warm water,but we weren't allowed to use a lot of it,so I always had quick baths,"he says,"but I don't like to think of those times."

He takes some soap and lathers it in my hair. I relax into him as he massages my scalp. I wash my body then rinse off my hair. I take some soap and turn around to wash his curls. I smile as I wash his hair.

"What are you smiling at?"He says with a smug smile.

"You, I love running my finger through your hair. Your beautiful curls."

I rinse off his hair and wash off the dirt from his back. When we are done,we get up and I wrap a towel around myself. I quickly put on my clothes and shiver as I wait for peeta to finish changing. He sits down next to me and wraps a blanket around both of is,encasing me in his arms.

"It's cold,"I say.

"Yeah,I'm going to make a fire. Will you hand me those pieces of broken wood and the matches?"

Taking the matches and wood,peeta builds a fire and then sets up the sleeping bag on the couch and pushes the couch closer to the fire. I pull out some food and hand some to him.

Then we nestle together in the sleeping bag,slowly drifting off to sleep.


	11. worries and keepers

After two weeks the storm let's up and peeta and I start again. I'm getting really big it's unbelievable! I think I'm 6months pregnant. I stop in my tracks,wait...we've been out here for nearly a year! What if we don't make it home by the time I give birth!

"Katniss,what's wrong?"

"I don't want to give birth out here, I only have 3 months. And we've been out here for almost a year,whose to say that we won't be out here for another year? You don't know how to deliver a baby? And I don't know what to do! What if I can't peeta? What if it comes out dead? I don't think I can handle that!"I practically scream.

"I won't let that happen, we will get home safe,and the baby will be safe. I promise it's going to be okay."

"But you can't know that!"

"I will do everything I possibly can to make sure that happens,okay?"

There's something in his voice that calms my fears,that makes me believe him. So I say,"okay."

He pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. Then repeats,"it's going to be okay."

* * *

Since the storm,it's been easier to find water, so pure cantine is always filled up. I search through the bag to find it. When I stop,I take a sip. Peeta then has some and puts it in the bag for me.

He takes the bag from me so that I'm not carrying anything. "Peeta,I can carry something." I say. He has the sleeping bag,the bag,the knife,the sheath of arrows, and two birds I shot. The only thing he doesn't have is my bow and one arrow because I wouldn't let it out of my hands. He reminds me of a pack mule.

"You are carrying something,you have a baby." He smirks.

"I mean something I can physical hold right now,in my arms,and my bow doesn't count."

"Fine,"he sighs. He he hands me the sheath of arrows and the back pack. "If you get tired or don't want to hold it,please tell me."

"Peeta-"

"Please?"

"Fine."

After walking for a few hours I have to stop. I can see my feet anymore and when I ask peeta about my ankles he tells me they are swollen. I'm not liking this at all. Peeta sets down everything and with the amazing strength he has, picks up a huge log a few feet away and sets it down near me. I take a seat and say,"you didn't have to do that,I could have just walked over there."

"I know,but your ankles are so swollen that I just don't want you walking right now."

"They're gonna be swollen for a long time and we have to keep walking so we can get home."

"I'll carry you if I have to,"he says so selflessly.

I pat the spot next to me and he takes a seat. He wraps me in his arms and strokes my hair. "I love you,katniss,"he whispers in my hair."

"I love you too,peeta."

We sit there silently for a while until I hear a light buzzing. "Do you hear that?"I ask.

"Yeah..."

"It sounds like a hovercraft. Come on we have to keep going as far as possible,it could be the capitol."

That's when a huge hovercraft lands a few feet away. We take off running as we see peacekeepers come out of it. Then a few more feet away another lands. "Peeta! What should we do?"

"I have no clue?!"he says frantically. I do what I've been doing for two years and start to send arrows into them. But there are so many. I'm running out of arrows and peeta can only stab so many people before we get shot. Not to mention the baby in my way.

That's when I hear my name being called from an oh so familiar voice.

"Katniss,peeta!"

We turn around to find that a third one has landed,and haymitch stand with finnick and Gale. Peeta and I take off running towards them. I hear a plink sound and see peeta nearly fall.

As soon as we are on the hovercraft we take off. I cling to peeta and cry because I'm so happy and hormonal. That's when haymitch cuts in and hugs us both. "I'm so happy to see you both safe and back."

Then he points to my stomach and says,"What? You couldn't keep it in your pants,boy?"

"I-I-uh.." Peeta stammers.

I start to feel light headed and instantly peeta is there asking me if I'm okay. "I just feel light headed and sick...where are we going,will we be there soon?"

"Yes,we are going to district 13."

"Are prim and my mom okay?"

"Yeah,but I don't think your mom will be too happy with you two."haymitch says. I notice how tense Gale is as he says that. He won't stop staring at me and peeta with a cold look on his face.

"Well she hasn't been a mother to me for mos of my life,so I don't really care what she thinks."I say taking peeta's hand. He lightly squeezes it and I lean into him. I'm starting to feel sick again so I close my eyes and take deep breaths.

"Are you okay,sweetheart?"Haymitch asks.

"I'm just feeling sick again,I think I just need to sleep for a while..."

"Here,follow me."haymitch says leading me to a door. Peeta follows us, and before I fall asleep haymitch explains about district 12 and 13, and about the captures though he doesn't go into great detail. Soon we are alone and I fall asleep in peeta's arms.

When I wake up,I'm not in the same bed. I see peeta first,sitting next to me on a chair. He kisses my forehead and brushes a hair from my face. "Morning beautiful, you've been asleep all day."

"Really?"

He nods and that's when I notice the two other figures in the room. My mom and sister. I see prim smile as my mom looks blank. Peeta smiles at me and runs his thumb over my knuckles as he hold my hand.

Finally prim runs up to me with tears in her eyes. She embraces me and says that she loves me and that I can't leave her ever again. "I promise I won't."I say as I hug her back. Finally she squeals with excitement.

"I can't believe you guys are having a baby!"

I smile at her as I run my hand over my stomach. That's when I realize that I know nothing about this baby. "Peeta,did they tell you about the baby? Is it okay? Is there anything wrong with it?"

"I don't know exactly what they were talking about when they tried to explain,"he says sheepishly,"whenever I would as for an explanation they would say something medical."

"You were a dehydrated,which did affect the baby but not dangerously. It seems to be a little small for how many months you are but proper nutrition can fix that. That was also caused by dehydration and lack of proper food. But it's okay. You should just take it easy."My mom cuts in.

"Okay,"I say quietly.

I can see how awkward peeta is and I wonder if she's talked to him? Peeta cups my face with one hand and runs a thumb over my cheek. "We're safe."He says with a small smile. But I don't feel safe yet.

Soon my mom and sister leave. It's just peeta and I once again. "Did my mom talk to you?"I ask.

"Yeah...She at first was really angry and said that I defiled you. Then after she got her rant out,I explained how much I love you and how I promise to take care of you...and that I want to marry you katniss. Katniss I love you so much,I want to have a toasting. Just you and I."

"Yes,peeta!"I say with tears,"I would love that!"

"I love you katniss,"he says and kisses me.

"I love you too."

That's when there's a knock at our door. Slowly it opens and Johanna,finnick,and Annie all walk in. "Hey lovebirds,"Johanna says. She looks different,skinnier and cut...She must have been from the bunch that were captured. Haymitch said something about that earlier.

"So you really put a bun in the oven,huh?" She says.

Annie smiles and says,"we're so happy to have you back."

"Thanks Annie,"peeta says.

"Hello girl on fire."finnick says remembering the first time we met. I laugh and he says,"any secrets worth my time?"

"Nope,"I say with a laugh.

"I see peeta holds all your secrets. Hey peeta,any secrets worth my time,"he says with a face that makes peeta bust up laughing.

"Well.."Peeta says jokingly.

Then our mood is ruined when president coin walks in.

"I'd like to speak with all of you." She says in a firm voice. Something about her rubs me the wrong way...

A/N sorry to stop here. Yay they are safe! Or are they? :)


	12. melting snow

Katniss pov

"I'd like to speak to all of you..."

She pauses then says,"tomorrow we proceed with our mission. Soldier O'dair,you will finish your duty as the mockingjay,and you will be the one shooting president snow,since Ms. Everdean and Mr. Mellark fleed on duty."

"Wait-nobody told us this was happening,and it's Mrs Mellark."I say angry. I see peeta smile at me. "Well,Mrs mellark,you could have screwed up the plans with your lack of acting skills."She says. I'm so angry right now,I just want to send my arrow into her head.

"I want katniss to be there with me,I want her to shoot him with me."finnick says.

"No."

"Yes, you will let her shoot him with me,"he says firmly. Something in her backs down,maybe it's because of all the people in the hospital? Too many witnesses? "Fine."She says with gritted teeth. Finnick smiles at me as she leaves.

"I don't like her,"I say.

"None of us do."

"So will you shoot him with me?"

"Yes."

"Katniss are you sure?"peeta asks putting a hand on my stomach. "Don't worry about us peeta."I say and rub my stomach. I lean into him and fall asleep.

The next morning I wake up and am greeted by cressida,Plutarch's assistant. She holds out my armour and explains what is happening today. I am to meet finnick with my specially loaded bow for the assassination of snow.

Before I leave on the hovercraft,I kiss peeta goodbye and tell him how much I love him. Prim too.

"Hello girl on fire,"finnick says as I walk up to him. "Ready to melt some snow?"

"Yes."

When we are given the signal,I am my arrow and let it fly right into his chest. It's almost as if he was looking into my soul as I let it fly. Then there is commotion and I see finnick throw his trident up into the heart of president coin. I'm shocked as I see her fall over and the guards start to pull finnick and I away.

"What's going on?!"I yell as I'm being dragged. Then I gasp as I feel a sharp pain in my back. They take finnick into a separate room and I scream for him and then in pain. Plutarch runs up to me in shock. I scream again and he yells for them to get me back to district 13. With all the commotion and pain,I can't keep up any longer and black out...

When I wake up again,I don't remember anything. I look around to find I'm alone,then look down at my bump and rub it. Then my memory comes back. Snow dying,coin dying,finnick being dragged away,and the pain in my back.

Then my mom walks through the door.

"What happened? Is it okay?"I ask concerned about my baby.

"She's fine,and you are too. It was all the stress that nearly caused you to go into a premature Labour,but we were able to stop it. It's way too early."

"Wait- did you say she?"

"Yes,it's a baby girl."

I smile down at my stomach and then ask,"what happened to finnick? And where's peeta?"

"Peeta is getting you food,but finnick however,"she sighs,"finnick is in a trial for killing president coin. They almost threw you in that to but he convinced them that you had no idea."

"Will he be okay?"

"I don't know."

Hours later haymitch finds us.

"Is finnick okay?"I ask.

"Yes and no. They aren't going to harm him,though some voted for that,"he says unhappily,"but they do have a punishment for him. He is exiled to district 4. He and Annie won't be able to leave. Well,she will but she wouldn't go anywhere without him. Oh,yeah and Annie is pregnant by the way."

"Aww,"I say.

"So now what happens?"peeta asks.

"We go home and live like we did before,but without the fear. You two can start your family there,or move somewhere else,I don't care what you decide to do,but I'm going back to drinking."

"What do you think we should do?"I ask peeta.

"I don't care,as long as I'm with you and our little girl."

"I think I want to stay close to my family. I can't leave prim yet."

"That's perfectly fine."He says and holds my hand in his.

"So when can we leave this place?"I ask.

"In a week you can leave,you guys are pretty much set because the victors village wasn't bombed. However the rest of the district was. So building is going to take a while."

"I want to get out of here as soon as possible."I decide.

"Okay,then we'll leave next week."Peeta says.

Haymitch starts to walk away but I yell out,"haymitch,"he turns around and I say,"thank you for everything you've done."

"Just being a mentor,"he says with a smirk.

"Any last advice?"

"Stay alive."

A week passes and now it's the night before we leave. That week dragged on forever! Peeta and I lay in bed with my shirt pulled up above my stomach as we poke at it,our little girl nudging back.

Peeta laughs and says,"this can't be real! I can't believe this. It's just,it's just so amazing."

He lays with his head on my stomach as he runs his hands up and down,listing for something. For what,I have no clue? I run my fingers through his curls and state,"you need a hair cut."

"Yeah,my hair has grown out quite long."

"I'll give you one when we get home."I say and run my fingers through his hair once more. He kisses my stomach and then starts to pepper kisses all over it. I feel the baby go wild as he does this.

"It tickles,"he murmers as it kicks his face. I giggle and he laughs along. "She seems a bit restless,"he laughs.

"I guess I should calm her down or else I won't be able to sleep."I sigh. Then I start to sing. I see peeta smile as he wraps his arms around me and holds me close,a hand protectively over my stomach.

"I love you,"he says after my song.

"I love you too peeta,"I say and kiss his forehead. Tomorrow we'll be home.


	13. returning

Katniss pov

The alarm signalling that the train has arrived goes off,meaning that in a few moments we'll be home. When finally we get off,what I see is heart breaking. Ash everywhere. The ash of our neighbours...our friends...and for peeta,his family.

I see tears in his eyes as we stand by what used to be the bakery. I go to put a hand on his shoulder,but he just shrugs it off and walks forward. I watch as he drops to his knees and picks up a half burnt portrait of his family. His eldest brother smiles as he has his arms around both peeta and his other older brother. His dads blond hair was barely sprinkled with grey,peeta's mom next to him. She even looks happy.

I walk through the ash to him and as he cries,I stand next to him because I know if I get down I won't be able to get up. So I let him lean against me and cry into my stomach as wrap my arms around his shoulders and head.

As I look around,I see that other people who just got off the train are crying for their loved ones,their families and houses destroyed,memories gone. I look towards the seam,where my true home was. The house my father lived in,smiled in,loved in. One of the few pieces of the way life use to be. I know it must be destroyed like everything else.

Slowly Peeta stands up,the picture still in his hand. He starts to walk towards the victors village without a word. I want him to stop being so distant,but I know that I need to let him have some time. If it were prim to be the one dead I know that I wouldn't want to be by anyone. I'd want to wolow in my own despair for a while,but I won't let him get that far. I need him.

So I'm not surprised when he goes into his house and locks himself in his room. I make my way to my house to grab my few belongings so that my mom and prim can live here while I live with peeta. But as soon as I walk in,I feel like I'm going to throw up. The smell of blood and roses fill my nostrils as I stumble through the house. It gets stronger as I get closer to my room.

When I get there,I see the perfectly made capitol roses. I hold my breath as I run over and throw them out the window. I hear the crash as I run to the bathroom to throw up. The smell is fading away,but is still prominent. I quickly grab my father's jacket,bow,plant book,and the few clothes,I have and run as fast as I can from the house.

When I get to my new home I find that peeta is still in the room,so I set down everything and knock on the door,"please let me in peeta,"I say softly. At first I don't hear anything,then I hear him get up and his familiar footsteps behind the door as he unlocks it and opens it for me.

His eyes are red and there are tear streaks down his eyes. His hair tossled. "Oh,peeta."I sigh before I open my arms for him. He walks into them and cries into my shoulder. I hold him tight and start to cry with him because it hurts to see him like this,not to mention the hormones.

After a while,he pulls away apologizing.

"No,peeta. It's okay. You don't have to apologize for mourning your family. I can't imagine losing all my family..."

"I didn't lose all my family."

"But I thought-"

"You and this little one are all I really need."He says placing a hand on my bump. I kiss his cheek and wipe his tears. "I love you."I say and run my hand through his knotted hair. That reminds me that he needs a hair cut.

"Here,let me give you a hair cut."I say and he nods. We walk over to the kitchen,where he sits as I stand behind him with scissors. I start to cut his beautiful curls into the way he likes them. After,I run my fingers through them and smile at him.

Then a thought occurs.

"We never had a toasting,"I say matter of factly.

"We need to have one,"he concludes.

"Want to have it now?"I ask.

"Yes,a nice little private one."He says. I nod and he gets the bread.

We sit by the fire and toast the bread and before we feed it to each other,we say our vows to each other.

"Katniss everdean mellark,I've loved you since I was 5. I watched you as you would walk through town with prim and your bow and think of how beautiful you are. As soon as I heard you sing,I knew I was a goner. I was in love with you. And I still am. And always will be. Everything you do makes me fall more and more in love with you,when you tell me you love me,or when you told me you were pregnant,and when you hug me,and all your kisses,make me fall for you over and over.I love you katniss,so much."

"Peeta Mellark,I never thought I would get married,or have kids,I've never thought about it,but then you came around and changed my mind. With just being yourself,and not even trying,you made me love you. You are so kind a gentle. You are my dandelion in the spring. My symbol of rebirth and not destruction. You understand me and love me unconditionally. You're the only one who will ever understand me completely. We've been through a lot together,and even in the darkest times you were there. I love you,peeta. With all my heart."

We feed each other the bread and then he leans in to kiss me. He pins me down to the floor and kisses me again...

Peeta and I lay there on the couch and he strokes my hair and says,"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"Always."

A/N yay! Please look up coal miners daughter by Loretta Lynn,it's this amazing song that perfectly describes katniss's life before her dad died. Tell me what you think of this chapter and that song please!


	14. baby on the way

Katniss pov

I wake abruptly in the morning. It's probably around 11 because the sun is up in the sky and peeta is up. I can hear him whistling from the shower. Smiling I sit up. As I look out at the green out in the distance,I can't help but smile. I miss my woods,but with me being really pregnant,peeta won't let me. It feels like forever since I've been to the forest. Even though we were just out there for a long time,it wasn't the same. There was no familiarity. No comfort or memories. It wasn't my woods.

I am quickly brought out of my thoughts when I feel a sharp pain in my lower back. I groan out in pain. These have been happening a lot lately. My mom says they are Braxton kicks,and are preparing me for labour,but I'm suppose to keep time of how long they last and how far apparent they are. Peeta always worries about me when they happen,but he is always very helpful when they happen. So I usually tell him that it's happening if he can't already tell.

"Peeta!"I call out from the bed. I don't hear the shower turn off,but soon I see peeta running in stark naked. "Are you okay?!"he says as he runs over to me. His hair is soaking wet and dripping on the floor,the bed,and me.

"It's another Braxton kick,but I need you to time it when it ends,"I get out through clenched teeth. He looks for the stop watch that my mom gave us,and finally finds it when it ends. "Start the timer."I call.

"Seriously,katniss,are you okay? You sounded like you were in a lot more pain that last night."

"Yeah,thus one was pretty bad,but I'm okay."

As I try to get up,he stops me. "Just relax okay? I'll get whatever you need."

"Um..Peeta..I don't think you can pee for me. Also,you might want to dry off and,um,put some pants on." I say blushing.

"My pure little katniss."He says smiling.

I make my way to the bathroom and go while peeta continues his shower. While he is still in the shower,I make my way downstairs for breakfast. Soon peeta comes down with the timer in hand,and says,"here,let me cook. What do you feel like for breakfast?"

"I'm not sure..."

Peeta leans down and kisses my stomach saying,"what does the baby want?"

"Hmmm,the baby wants,scrambled eggs,toast,cheese buns,fruit,mashed potatoes-"

"Wait,mashed potatoes?"

"Yeah I really want some mashed potatoes."I say for some reason this makes me start to get emotional.

"No,no,no,"he says quickly,"don't cry,look I'll make you everything you want,even if I have to take a train to the capitol to get it."

"Okay,"I say quietly looking up at him.

He kisses my nose and gets to work on making my breakfast.

I take a seat at the counter and wait. That's when I'm hit again by pain. I bite my lip and hold back a cry as I stop the watch. I can feel peeta's hands rubbing circles on my back as I double over.

"It's only 15 minutes. They're getting closer together,do you think you're in labour?"He asks.

"I don't know,maybe we should wait and see if the next one is in 15 minutes. If they continue to be like that then we should call my mom."I say with fear in my voice.

"It's going to be okay,"he soothes,"alright,katniss?"

"Okay."

15 minutes later,another comes and my veins course with fear. "I'm calling your mom."He says running to the phone.

* * *

My mom comes in with her medical supplies and instructs me to go sit down on the couch.

"Has your water broke yet?"

"No,not yet,but the contractions are more frequent and painful."

"How long?"

"15 minutes apart."

"Yup,it sounds like you're going into labour. All that needs to happen now is your water to brake."

As if on cue,another contraction comes. When it passes she says,"let's get you upstairs. Where are you going to have her?"

"The extra room."

"Okay,let's get you there."

Her and peeta help me upstairs. As we walk up the stairs,I double over in pain,but this time I feel a gush of liquid come out.

"It's time,your water broke,"my mom says happily.

"You're in labour!"Peeta says with a voice full of happiness,and a hint of fear. I attempt to smile but I'm too scared. Peeta takes my hand and squeezes it to comfort me. When we get upstairs my mom instructs peeta to take me to the bathroom and clean me up.

Peeta picks me up and carries me to the bathroom,where he sets me down on the toilet as he runs a rag under warm water. "Are you scared?"I ask him as he runs the rag across my thighs and takes off my underwear.

"Of course I'm scared,but I have faith in you. I know how strong you are,so I'm not worried. I also know that you are going to be a great mother. The only thing I'm afraid of is that something will go wrong,but I know your mom is prepared for anything and is an amazing doctor. So really,there isn't anything to be scared of."

"Okay."I say quietly.

"I love you,katniss."

"I love you too,peeta."

"Now let's go have a baby!"he says excitedly and picks me up.

When we come back into the room,my mom has everything set up. "Just set her on the bed."She says.

Peeta quickly does as he is told and waits for further instructions. "Okay,katniss. I need to see how dialated you are. So I need you to open your legs."

She takes a look and says,"you're barely 3 centimetres,you still have a lot of time. It's going to be very painful so I suggest that you take the epidural."

"What does that do?"peeta asks.

"It numbs her bottom half so she can't feel her contractions."

"Okay,I'll do that."I say.

"Good choice. I also suggest that you get as much rest as you can,because believe me,you won't be getting much sleep for a while."

"I'm going to go pick up prim from school,I almost forgot she had a half day."My mom says.

"What if something happens?"I ask worridly.

"I don't think anything will-"

"Please-"I plead.

"I could get her-"peeta says.

I give him a glare,that if looks could kill he'd be dead.

"Or I could go get haymitch to."

"Yes,thank you peeta."My mom says.

Peeta pov

I run to haymitch's putrid home as quickly as I can. He's actually awake when I run in. "Damn boy,do you think you ran in fast enough?"He snorts.

"Katniss is in labour,and we need you to pick up prim,please."

"Okay boy,I will. Just go get back to sweethearts side before she has a heart attack without you there."

"Thank you,haymitch."I say and he smiles saying,"I'm happy for you two. Now go have a baby,peeta."

When I get back,I see katniss relax as soon as she sees me. "Peeta,"she says as I crawl in next to her and hold her. "Time for me to give up the epidural."He mom says holdings a needle.

She turns katniss over and injects the needle somewhere in her back. Almost instantly katniss relaxes a bit. "This feels a lot better,"she sighs. I smile and kiss her sweaty forehead. Then I pull her close to me as I play with her hair.

"Sleep love."I say softly and she nods. We both soon drift off...

I wake up about an hour before katniss does. She keeps moving and I can see the pain in her face. That's when she finally wakes up. "It hurts,peeta."She moans. I kiss her forehead and say,"it's okay,just think,in a matter of hours our baby girl will be here. "I say rubbing her stomach.

She nods but I see a tear roll down her face. That's when her mom and prim walk in. "Time to see how many centimetres you are."

"7,you're getting closer but it will probably be a while."

"But I've been in labour for 10 hours!"she whines.

"I know,I know. Your first time usually takes a long time."

"It hurts,"she moans.

"Your epidural wore off,I can get you more."

"Hold on,I feel like I need to walk."She says.

"That can help with the labour so I recommend you do so."

"Peeta? Help?"Katniss asks.

I get up and take her hand. When she stands up,I wrap a hand around her waist and the other hand takes hers. We walk up the hall and into the rooms,stopping a few times as a contraction hits.

"What time is it?"She pants.

"It's 10:23,"I say.

"I just want this to be over!"she cries.

I pull her close to me and hold her as she cries into my shoulder. It hurts me to see her in so much pain. Not to mention that I was the one who caused it. "We should go back to the room so your mom can give you the epidural."

About 3 hours later,I finally hear for words we have been waiting for. "It's time to push."

A/N yay! Toast baby is coming


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